How long has the County been trying to acquire this rail corridor?
The
short answer to that question is approximately 5 years.
However, the history of the project is more complicated than that and actually involves two separate rail trail projects.
Back in 1995, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) proposed to abandon approximately 23 miles of rail corridor stretching from Albany to Delanson in Schenectady County.
At that time, Albany County took a leadership role in an effort to acquire the corridor for a rail trail and, in fact, secured a $1.8 million Transportation Enhancement grant for acquisition of the property and development of the trail.
Shortly thereafter, CP Rail withdrew its plan to abandon the rail line, which resulted in the unfortunate end of the proposed rail trail project and loss of the grant funding.
Then, in 2003, CP Rail once again proposed an abandonment of this rail line, but this time it was for a 9-mile portion stretching from Albany to Voorheesville.
Albany County immediately filed a request for Railbanking (see next FAQ), submitted a parks acquisition grant application to the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, and began active negotiations with CP Rail to purchase the rail corridor.
This was the beginning of the second and current rail trail project and initiated what are now 5-years of negotiations with CP Rail for purchase of the corridor.
Railbanking preserves rail lines proposed for abandonment by converting them to trail use,
while leaving open the option to restore the property to
rail use if needed. The
National Trails System Act 
authorized railbanking in 1983.
Railbanking provides two major public benefits by:
The reason that use of a rail corridor for a rail trail is considered an “interim conversion to trail use” is because a railbanked line is subject to possible future restoration of rail service if a railroad company can demonstrate to the Federal Surface Transportation Board that such a restoration is viable.
If a railroad company can demonstrate the viability of resuming rail service, it must compensate the rail trail owner for the fair market value of the property.
The Federal Surface Transportation Board has jurisdiction of the corridor while it is under the railbanking program.
More information on the Railbanking process is available in a fact sheet on
the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy website (www.railtrails.org ).
Not really.
Railbanking has been around since 1983 and has been applied to rail trail projects all over the country, but the restoration of a trail to active rail service has been a very rare occurrence.
It is a complicated and expensive endeavor to restore rail service and the underlying justification needs to be compelling. Therefore, the County is confident that the public will be the beneficiaries of many years of recreational enjoyment through this project.
It should be noted, however, that if public transportation needs were ever significant enough to justify a return to rail service on this corridor, then it is likely that the County would be supportive of addressing that need, even if it meant the possible loss of the rail trail. In that event, the County would be compensated for the fair market value of the corridor.
What was the final negotiated purchase price for the rail corridor?
The final negotiated price, which was arrived at by mutual concurrence following consideration of three independent appraisals, was $700,000.
This translates to approximately $77,778 per mile, or about $6,000 per acre.
How much will this acquisition cost County tax payers?
The cost to County taxpayers for acquisition of this property is zero.
As soon as the County learned of CP Rail’s intent to abandon the corridor, an application was submitted to the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for a parks acquisition grant.
The County was awarded $350,000 through that grant, which was matched through the generosity of our partner in this endeavor, Scenic Hudson, Inc.
Scenic Hudson was also involved in our 1995 rail trail project, and we are fortunate to have their continued participation, technical assistance, and financial support in this current effort.
Where are the endpoints of the trail and through which municipalities will it pass?
The east end of the trail nearest the Hudson River is just east of South Pearl Street in the City of Albany.
Moving westward, the rail corridor passes through the hamlets of Delmar and Slingerlands in the Town of Bethlehem, then through the Town of New Scotland, and finally ends just east of Main Street in the Village of Voorheesville.
How long is the total distance of the rail corridor?
The total length of the corridor is approximately 9 miles.
This includes about 1 mile in the City of Albany, 5 miles in the Town of Bethlehem, 2.5 miles in the Town of New Scotland, and a half mile in the Village of Voorheesville.
Will all of the corridor be converted to rail trail?
Yes.
The entire 9-mile length will be developed as a recreational trail.
How level or steep is the grade of the rail corridor?
Most
of the rail corridor is generally level.
The lowest point occurs at the east end nearest the Hudson River at an elevation of 50 feet above sea level, and the highest point is near the west end in the Village of Voorheesville at an elevation of 350 feet above sea level.
The steepest portion of the rail trail will be encountered when moving west from South Pearl Street through the Normans Kill gorge to Rockefeller Road in Delmar, an increase of approximately 100 feet in elevation over a trail distance of about 1.9 miles.
As one travels westward from Rockefeller Road, the grade continues uphill with an increase of another 50 feet in elevation over a distance of 1.3 miles to Delaware Avenue (State Route 443).
The remainder of the trail between Delaware Avenue in Delmar and Main Street in Voorheesville will level off substantially with an increase of only 150 feet in elevation over a distance of approximately 5.8 miles.
Will the rail trail be linked to any other trail systems?
There are several possible linkages, which the County is investigating in order to maximize the recreational potential of the rail trail.
However, our primary target is to connect the new 9-mile rail trail with the existing Mohawk-Hudson Bike Hike Trail.
The result of this linkage would provide approximately 55 miles of continuous bike-hike trail from the Village of Voorheesville, east to the City of Albany’s waterfront, north along the Hudson River to the City of Cohoes, then west along the Mohawk River in the Town of Colonie, and eventually to Rotterdam Junction in Schenectady County.
What is the next step in the project?
Contrary to popular belief, the County does not yet hold title to the rail corridor, which currently remains in the ownership of CP Rail.
Therefore, the next step in the project is to finalize the transfer of ownership to the County, which first requires several steps referred to under the general heading of “due diligence.”
Included here are precautionary items such as survey work, title search, environmental analyses, soil tests, and conducting structural inspections of the nine bridges along the corridor.
These steps are necessary to safeguard the County, its partners, and ultimately, the tax payers from conditions that are unknown at the time that the purchase agreement is signed, but prior to the closing on the sale.
How long will the “due diligence” process last?
Both parties (the County and CP Rail) agreed that all matters of due diligence would be completed within 300 days, starting at signing of the purchase agreement.
The agreement was signed in early December 2008.
What happens if something serious is discovered during the course of due diligence?
Either party (the County or CP Rail) has the right to terminate the purchase agreement prior to closing if it determines that circumstances exist that render the sale inadvisable.
No.
The property is still owned by CP Rail, and any use of the corridor for any purpose is considered trespassing.
It should also be clarified that even after the County assumes ownership of the property, the corridor will still be closed to the public since various portions are not deemed safe for public access or use.
The corridor will be open to the public for recreational use only after development of the rail trail is complete.
The first step in the process of actually developing the rail trail is to hire a consulting engineer with practical expertise in the construction of rail trails.
The County has recently selected Greenman-Peterson, Inc. (GPI) as our project consultant for engineering and design services.
During the course of the due diligence process, GPI will begin conceptual design work, but final engineering and design plans will not be completed until after due diligence has been satisfied and the County has closed on the property.
Once final engineering and design plans have been drafted, they will be presented to the County for preliminary approval, as well as provided to municipal officials and the public for review and comment.
How long do you anticipate the planning and design phase to last?
That is yet to be determined and will depend on the unique site conditions that our rail corridor present to the design and engineering team, as well as other project-related considerations.
Various factors such as soil type, drainage improvement needs, structural integrity of bridges, at-grade road crossings, potential parking and access points, adjacent land use, available funding, and public opinion all have to be analyzed and incorporated in the design and planning process before we will have a blue print from which the project will be constructed.
Do you have a tentative schedule or even a best guess for completion of the rail trail?
Assuming that the due diligence process is completed without serious complication, then our “best guess” is that the planning and design phase will be completed by the end of 2009 and that construction will extend into the fall of 2010.
Do you have a cost estimate for constructing the rail trail?
No, because there are too many unknowns at this early date to allow for such an estimate.
Basic estimates of construction cost per mile of rail trail are available from the Rail-to-Trails Conservancy, which vary considerably depending on the type of surface applied (e.g., asphalt can run $200,000-$300,000 per mile compared to $80,000-$120,000 per mile for crushed stone).
However, even these highly variable estimates can be off by a factor of two or three depending on drainage requirements, the possibility of bridge repairs, development of parking areas, etc. For these reasons, providing an estimate at this point in the project could be misleading.
Once our consultant completes the engineering and design work, we will have a much better idea of construction costs, which will be posted on this site at that time.
How will the County pay for the construction of the rail trail?
The County is actively researching grants and other funding opportunities for development of the rail trail. One such possibility is a State Parks Development Grant.
In addition, the rail trail project is included in the County’s 5-year Capital Plan as well as in the 2007-2012 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).
What type of surface will the rail trail have?
The County intends to provide the best possible recreational experience to the public that can be reasonably afforded.
In most cases, that translates to a hard or paved surface, which while costing up to two or three times as much as a softer surface such as crushed stone, is much less expensive to maintain and provides for a greater diversity of uses.
On the other hand, a softer surface, while more limiting in terms of uses and more expensive to maintain, is substantially more affordable to build.
Based on a review of existing rail trails, it is apparently not uncommon for some trails to have multiple surfaces, with high-use portions having a hard surface and low-intensity sections constructed with a crushed stone surface.
No decision has been made at this time, but public preference and the expert opinion of our consultant will contribute to this important design decision.
What types of uses will be allowed on the rail trail?
The final decision on allowable uses has not yet been made and will ultimately depend on several factors, including the surface of the trail, public preferences, and expert advice from our consulting engineer.
At this time, we are looking at a wide range of multi-seasonal, recreational uses that do not conflict with other users, do not pose a risk to public safety, and do not increase the cost of trail maintenance or repair.
Will any particular uses be prohibited?
Yes.
No use of the rail trail by motorized vehicles, including ATVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles, will be allowed.
Exceptions will be made for motorized wheel chairs and necessary access by emergency vehicles.
Will the rail trail be accessible to handicapped users?
Yes.
Design standards for parking, access, and recreational use will include provisions for physically disabled or otherwise handicapped members of the public.
Will the rail trail be plowed for use during the winter months?
No.
The rail trail surface will not be plowed to allow for biking during winter.
However, in an effort to promote multi-seasonal enjoyment of the facility, parking areas will be plowed to allow access to the trail for cross-country skiing and snow shoeing.
What opportunities for public input and participation will there be as the project moves forward?
Public input will be an important contributor to decision making in the planning and design phase of this project.
In addition to soliciting public feedback at one or more public meetings the County will convene, the public is also encouraged to submit suggestions, ideas, and questions to the County at any time during the course of this project (see contact information at the end of this page).
The County also intends to reach out to the individual municipalities and to various interested organizations to gain the benefit of their input.
Finally, we have the advantage of a very well organized and dedicated “Friends of the Rail Trail” volunteer support group, who will be instrumental in collecting public opinion and communicating those ideas to the County.
We anticipate our Friends of the Rail Trail will be a valuable asset to the long-term success of the rail trail project.
There are several County officials involved in the rail trail initiative, each of whom has a particular area of expertise that he or she brings to the project.
Therefore, given the wide range of possible questions, all inquiries are being directed to staff in the County Executive’s Office, who will direct specific questions to the individual best equipped to provide an answer:
Office of the County Executive
112 State Street, Room 200
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 447-7040
Questions or requests for further information can also be sent by email to: railtrail@albanycounty.com
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